It really boils down to 5 factors. If you stick with these 5 factors when selecting a race, it will save you hours of searching (analysis paralysis anyone?) and you will avoid losing money on expensive race fees.

#1 Budget

Cost is something to strongly consider when selecting a race. Do not sign up for a big race (e.g., NYC Marathon, Chicago Marathon, etc.) if you do not have the budget to spend thousands of dollars. When I signed up for the 2015 Boston Marathon, I was willing to accept the fact that I had to spend $600/night on the hotel alone. When you factor in flights, dining, activities, and race fees, I easily spent around $3500.

Could I have done Boston cheaper? Sure. I could have stayed outside of the city, ate cheap food, and did nothing other than run. But that’s not fun for me. I like to travel and experience new things.

With that said, my budget for races this spring is pretty tight. Therefore I am running 2 cheaper races, Clyde’s 10k and the “Luck of the Irish” 10 Miler. Each race is only $45 and other costs are minimal.

#2 Location

The location of a race is another important factor when selecting a race for several reasons. How long will it take you to get there? How will you get there? Is the terrain different from where you normally run (i.e., mountain versus coastline)? Is it several time zones away? These are all things to think about.

A good example of this would be signing up for the Big Sur Marathon (massive hills, west coast time zone) when you typically train on the Chesapeake Bay (flat, east coast time zone). I am not saying it can’t be done, because it definitely can! But did you incorporate hill training into your training? How do you adjust to different time zones?

If you find yourself in a similar scenario, I recommend getting to the race location a few days ahead of race day to get yourself used to the time zone change.

#3 Climate/Weather

Surely, the Key West Marathon in January sounds like a delightful break from the running we do in the bitter cold in the Northeast right? Not so fast. It takes about 2-3 weeks to get acclimated to warmer weather. Again, it’s doable but something to consider. If you happen to be in this scenario, I would recommend arriving to the warmer race location a few days ahead of race day to get somewhat acclimated.

Oh man now I am dreaming about a cheeseburger in paradise 😉

#4 Convenience

Although nice, a race necessarily doesn’t have to be the main event. Is there a race that coincides with an already planned trip? Is there a friend or relative you can stay with that lives near a race? Is the race on a holiday weekend so you don’t have to worry about taking time off work?

This is one of the reasons why I chose the “Luck of the Irish” 10 Miler. My boyfriend’s parents live near the race start and we will be visiting them that weekend anyway. So it keeps costs down because I don’t have to stay in a hotel or worry about any other additional travel costs.

#5 Does it make you feel excited?!

This is the #1 factor when choosing a race. You may have everything else lined up; budget, convenience, etc., but if you don’t feel excited about it, DO NOT SIGN UP. There have been plenty of races where I thought “oh man it’s not very expensive and it has good reviews”, but I just didn’t feel excited about it. If you don’t feel excited about signing up, then I can guarantee you won’t feel excited come race day.

What’s helpful for me is googling “[Insert Race Name] race reviews” and other blogs will appear in the results. It’s a great first-hand account of what the race is really about.

To help me keep track of races that peak my interest (so many!), I made a Pinterest board called “Places to Race“.

So tell me, what are other factors that help you select which race to run? Click “Leave a Comment” under the blog post title.

Happy Monday everyone! Hope all your running/fitness has been going awesome! It’s quite the rainy Monday here in Maryland. When I woke up this morning and heard the pouring down rain, my immediate thought was to take my run inside on the treadmill. After a few minutes, I changed my mind and decided to challenge myself today by putting myself in an uncomfortable situation (running in the rain) and working on getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. As humans, we tend to HATE anything remotely uncomfortable and stay in our comfort zone. But adventure and the feeling of truly being alive happens outside of our comfort zone. Running in the rain is uncomfortable, but it is fun if you do it right!

Here are my tips on how to run in the rain and love it!

Before Your Run

1. Assess the situation. Listen to your local weather authority. If there are any warnings, probably not the best idea to put your life at risk. Today during my run, it was 70 degrees with steady rain. A safe situation to run in. Do not go out if it’s hurricane conditions outside! Do yoga instead 🙂

2. Gather all the necessary gear. You could theoretically go out in your normal gear. But that’ll result in chafing and blisters. You will need the following, including but not limited to:

3. Place your after run essentials, like a towel and newspaper, by the door that you’ll enter through after your run. That way you are not walking through the house soaking wet to get everything you need.

4. Put on anti-chafing ointment prior to putting on your gear. You will get wet. There is no getting around that. Before putting on your shoes/socks, put anti-chafing ointment all over your feet to avoid blisters. Also, put the ointment anywhere clothes or skin may rub like under sports bra straps or in-between your thighs.

5. Now put on your gear. You will need a baseball hat or visor to keep the pouring rain out of your face so you can breathe comfortably. If you wear an armband for your phone, put it on prior to putting on your rain jacket. This adds an extra layer of protection and will prevent your phone from getting wet.

During Your Run

6. Watch your footing! But be sure to jump in those puddles. It’s like being a kid again! 🙂 But those paint lines on the roads can be slippery when wet, so be sure to tread slowly over them or skip over them if possible. Also look out for those leaves! They can be slippery too.

After Your Run

7. Hang dry all your gear on a drying rack. Take care of your gear and it will take care of you!

8. Stuff your shoes with newspaper. Yes I know that sounds odd but you need to dry your shoes ASAP. Newspaper absorbs all the moisture from your shoes and is cheap. Do not put your shoes in the dryer! The heat breaks down the material in the sole and changes the shape/structure of the other materials.

That’s all for now! What are you waiting for?! Go out there and be a kid again! 🙂

Happy April everyone! Running season is upon us and it’s the time of year where I receive the most questions. So in the spirit of the season, this month I am going back to basics with (the appropriately named) Back to Basics Series. Yay!!

Last week, a coworker and I got into a discussion about fuel. He scored an amazing deal (like $3?! Normally $33) on a 24-count box of Honey Stingers that were “about to expire”…in August! If you’re training for a half marathon you could definitely eat all those by August. What a lucky dog…

Long story short, I get a lot of questions about fueling. How much? How often? Which kinda? Well if you haven’t figured it out by now, today I want to talk to you about…

Do I need to consume fuel during my run?

It’s important to know that fuel is only necessary for runs longer than 60 minutes, regardless of the distance. Doesn’t matter if it’s 3 miles or 7 miles, after 60 minutes your body needs carbs.

How often should I take in fuel during my run?

The ideal rule is 1 package every 45 minutes. So if you plan to run over an hour, start at minute 45, then another an an hour and 30 minutes and so on. If your stomach is feeling “off” or you feel full, don’t feel like it is mandatory to take something. Listen to your body.

Which kind of fuel should I consume?

Beer! Kidding. Don’t do that. I did that once during a race. I immediately regretted that decision. The most popular fuel is gel. They come in a variety of flavors and are easy to carry with you. Next are chews, which are pretty much like gummies. They are a nice way to switch it up if you get tired of eating gel and want something to chew, hence the name. Next up, sport beans!! Basically jelly beans you feel less guilty about eating. Sport beans are a favorite of mine around mile 17 of the marathon when you are losing your mind and all you can do is count beans…yeahhhh. Frankly, none are greater than the either. Experiment and see which one works/tastes best for you!

So there you have it! The basics of fueling! I didn’t include hydration in this post because that is a separate post in itself 🙂

Disclaimer: If you are ill, please consult your doctor for medical advice. I am not a doctor and I am writing from my own experience and research.

Runners are creatures of habit. We LOVE routines. This mostly works in our favor (determination, consistency, etc.), but there are situations when it can be our worst enemy. Running while sick can fall into that category.

Yesterday I had a very minor surgery where the doctors removed some cysts from my head. Fun times right? Like any seasoned runner, the first thing I asked the doctor post-OP was if I could run the following day. I imagine the doctor doesn’t hear that question very often. He advised me to see how I felt and go from there. Sounds reasonable right? But how do you determine the difference between an excuse or a legit concern?

Women’s Running posted an article in 2013 with a handy dandy flow chart that makes it easy to figure out if you should run or not.

I always ask my clients this, “does the illness pass the neck test?” If you are congested and that’s really it, go for a run! It can actually help clear you out and temporarily alleviate the discomfort. On the other hand, if you have been vomiting, have stomach issues, and/or muscle fatigue, skip it. Running while experiencing these issues could only make matters worse.

You might be thinking, “well there goes my training and I won’t meet my goal!” Well not so fast. There are other ways to train for running without actually running. Yeah…I am about to blow your mind people. Training encompasses so much than the physical aspect. There is mental training, nutrition, education, fashion…okay I threw that last one in there 😛